Switch for electric railways



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W. M. SGHLESINGER.

SWITCH FOR ELBGTRIG RAILWA'YSL Patented May 4, 1886.

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W. M SOHLESINGER SWITGHl-"OR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

No. 341,058. Patented May 4, 1886.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM M. SCHLESINGER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SWITCH FOR ELECTRIC RAILWAYS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 341,058, dated May '1, 1886.

Application filed September 19,1885. Serial No. 177,540. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM M. ScHLEs- INGER, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Switches for Electric Railways, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure l is a plan of a part of an electric railway having a slotted conduit for the lineconductors, showing the slot and the track switch-rails provided with operating mechanism embodying my improvements. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of a part of a car and track, showing a form of a finger or pusherrod at tached to the car for operating the track mechanism to move the conduit-slot plate and the track switch-rails. Figs. 3 and 4 are eleva tions, partly sectional, of other forms of said fingers or pushers adapted to be manually operated for efi'ecting a movement of said switchrails. Fig. 5 is a transverse section of the track, showing connecting-bar and operating mechanism for the switch-rails." Fig. 6 is a like View showing a modified form of connecting bar for the switch-rails, and Fig. 7 is a perspective view of my improvements shown applied to a track having a single movable tongue or switch-rail.

My invention has reference to electric railways in general, but more particularly to that form of the surface roads of.the same wherein the line-conductors are placed within a conduit located midway between the car-tracks, which conduit has in its upper side a slot through which travels the electrical connections for looping or connecting the motor or the electric circuit of the car to the main or line conductors in the conduit; and it has particular relation to the conduit-slot and the track switch-rails or tongues for transferring the cars from the main line to a siding, or vice versa.

My invention has for its object to so connect the conduit-slot plate and the track switchrails or tongues together and provide them with operating mechanism that they can be moved or oscillated by or from the car as it approaches or is about to pass over them, whereby either the car itself or the conductor or any attendant thereon transfers the car from the main line to a siding, or vice versa, or keeps it on the main line, according as the switch-rails are located and arranged for producing either of these movements.

My invention accordingly consists of the combination, construction, and arrangement of parts, as hereinafter described and claimed, having reference particularly to a cross-rod connecting the conduit-slot plate and the track switch-rails, a wedge-shaped or other suitably configured bar or bars projecting above the surface of the roadway in gear with said crossrod, and mechanism located upon the cars for depressing or operating thewedgeshaped bars to effect a movement of both the slot-plate and track switch-rails as the car approaches the same. I

lo the drawings, A and A respectively represent a main and a branch line of way; and B and B the slotted conduits therefor, preferably located midway between the track-rails. In the conduit-slot 1) travels any of the wellknown forms of frames or connections for placing its car-motor in circuit with the lineconductors C C, suitably arranged within the conduit.-

1) represents the pivoted tongue or switchplate for the conduit-slot, and a (a the switchrails for the tracks. Both of these switchrails a a and b may be of any of the wellknown forms, or they may be made and suitably affixed in position to have lateral movement, as desired. These switch-rails are connected by a cross-rod, D, suitably depending from them so as not to interfere with the traveling brushes in contact with the conductors C. The cross-rod D has suitable guides or bearings, e, forming part of chambers e,which are located adjacent to or they may be lateral extensions of the conduit B. The cross-rod D is preferably provided with rollers (ld suitably placed, as shown more plainly in Figs. 5 and 5 6, in elongated slots d formedthereon. These rollers d are in contact with or bear against inclined sides f of bars F, which extend upwardly above the surface of the roadway and have theirupperends, f, preferablyrdunded, as shown.

Suitable guide chambers or ways, G,are provided for bars F, so that they will loosely rest therein and in contact with their respective roller (2 so that when either one or the other of the bars F is depressed its inclined side f presses against its roller d and slides or pushes the rod D,and with it the switch-rails a a. and b, to one side or the other to simultaneously set both the conduit-slot plate and the track switch-rails to the main line, or to the branch or siding tracks, as desired.

When the two depression-bars F are used, as shown inFig. 5, as one is depressed the other is elevated by contact with the inclined side of the adjacent roller, d". To assist this upward movement of the bars F, reaction- W springs f placed preferably between their lower ends and the bottomof chamber G, and provided with tension-nuts f as shown, may be used; or these springs f may be altogether relied upon to elevate the bars F after being depressed, more especially so when only one bar is used, as shown in Fig. 7.

To press the bars]? down, a rigid finger, H, attached to the car K in line with the bars, may be used. This finger (shown in Fig. 2) is preferably elongated in shape and placed near the forward end of the car, so that the finger will meet and depress the rod before the wheels of the car pass onto the switch-rails.

When the rigid finger H is used, the switchrails are automatically moved by the car; but, if preferred,this finger may be in the form of a sliding bar having a friction -roller, 71, as shown in Fig. 3, a lever, h, and reaction-spring h, whereby it can be manually depressed by an attendant on the car to push down the bars F as the car travels over them. Instead of a manually-operated lever, h, a foot lever or treadle may be used, as illustrated in Fig. 4.

If the extent of movement of the conduitslot switch-rail and the track switch-rails is the same, then the cross-rod D connecting these switch-rails is in one piece or rigidly connects them. If, however, the track switchrails require a greater extent of movement than that for the conduit-slot switch, then a suitable form or system of lever-and-link mechanism, I, is interposed between the track switch-rails and the ends of the bar D. (See Fig. 6.)

As it is obvious that the construction and arrangement of parts comprising my invention may be variously modified without departing from the spirit of the same, I do not therefore confine myself to any particular construction or arrangement of such parts. So,

too, while I have described my invention as being especially applicable to the electric railways having slotted conduits, yet I do not limit it thereto, as the conduits may be dispensed with when the road is an elevated one, and the improvements herein described may be used upon cable-motor or other railways.

Again, the depression-bar F, with its inclined side f, may be used in connection with the track switch-rails alone, so that the switches now used in railways may be operated or opened and closed from the car, as herein described.

If desired, the spring f may be dispensed with, as by making the inclines f of asuitable angle, the rollers d will of themselves push up the bars F, or return them to their normal position after being depressed, as one or the other of the bars is pushed down.

What I claim is- 1. A railway having switch-rails a a and intermediate switch-rail, I), connected to move together, and provided with depression-bar F, in combination with a car having a pressure or finger device for operating bar F to set the switch-rails, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of railway-switches a (l and b, having cross-bar D and depression-bar F, and a car having finger H, as and for the purpose set forth.

3. A railway having slotted conduit provided with switch-rail I), connected to adjacent track switch-rails, and depression-bars projecting above the surface of the roadway, in combination with a car having fingers adapted to said depression-bars, substantially as shown and described.

4. The combination of track-rails A A, slotted conduits B B, switch-rails a a and I), having cross-rod D, provided with rollers d and bars F, having inclined sides f, adapted to roll ers d, as and for the purpose set forth. a a ,5. The combination oftrack-rails A A, slotted conduits B B, switch-rails a a and I), having cross-rod D, provided with slots d and rollers d bars F, having inclined sides f and projecting above the surface of the roadway,'

and a car or cars having a finger, H, adapted to bars F, substantially as shown and described.

6. The combination of track switch-rails a a, the intermediate switch-rail, b, a connecting cross'rod, D, having end lever mechanism I and rollers (1 and depression-bars F, having 7. 

